Suite J-Town: The Art of Resilience

Suite J-Town is a multidisciplinary, intercultural, multigenerational, site-specific series of performance events celebrating the history of San Francisco Japantown, created and conceived by Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu of First Voice.READ MORE

IN THE NEWS! THE RAFU SHIMPO LOS ANGELES

Shedding silence through artistic exploration also can unify and uplift a community, Bay Area writer and storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki says. By reminding people of what is lost when one’s historical traces are erased, she said — whether that be a camp artifact or an entire neighborhood — awareness and appreciation of a people’s history can be renewed. “I wanted to awaken people’s understanding of Japantown as a homeland,” she said. “When you no longer have a place that is yours, what does that mean?

Walk Through Time will invite audiences to experience the history of SF Japantown and celebrate through music, dance, and storytelling performances at multiple historic sites. Join us for an interactive adventure through space and time as we explore J-Town history through music, dance and storytelling performances.

What are cultures of place? How do we create synergy to revitalize our communities during these times of transformation? Former Poet Laureates of San Francisco devorah major and Janice Mirikitani with writer/storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki share insight into the Afro-Asian cultural dynamic of J-town through storytelling and community dialogue.

Thursday’s gallery opening is fast approaching, and as much as I am anticipating our first official unveiling to the outside world, I’m really starting to realize how much positive relationship building has gone into the process of making this all possible.